Wakefield CAMRA Homepage index to pub food reviews
A Good Meal and a Decent Pint
�The Star
at Kirkhamgate
reviewed for Edition 45 of the Wakefield CAMRA Magazine, O-to-K, Autumn 2010 �2010
Batley Road, Kirkhamgate, WF2 0RZ, 212 bus route
On this occasion our gastronomic tour takes us to the
far reaches of our branch area (well it is for me anyway). The Star at
Kirkhamgate is our destination; it can be found on the Batley Road which runs
between the bottom of Westgate and, rather unsurprisingly, Batley. Approaching
from Wakefield, the village lies in a pleasant semi-rural setting with panoramic
views of the M1. The pub itself is as close to the M1 as it could possibly be
and right by the Wakefield boundary sign. There is far less traffic noise than
one might expect. Bus 212 will take you there, as will the 100 if you prefer the
scenic route. It has a very well preserved John Smiths exterior, reminding one
of the sort of place you would have gone miles to avoid 30 years ago due to a
complete lack of real ale. Entering by the front door, take care to turn left
for the bar or you will end up in the ladies' toilet. The bar area is very
pleasant and "front room-y". There are cushions everywhere, toby jugs
abound and I feel sorry for whoever has to clean the vast array of copper and
brassware. Look out for the mobile phone the size of a brick. At the rear there
is a small restaurant area leading to a very large restaurant area. Food is
obviously a major feature here. Outside at the rear there is a vast beer garden
cum adventure playground.
There were two handpumps on the bar, both dispensing a
decent pint of Copper Dragon Golden Pippin at �2.70, a price we are
becoming increasingly used to.
Get your beer and sit down and peruse the menu; you
will need a while. There's anything you could possibly want. A good value
lunchtime only menu has sandwiches, jacket potatoes and Yorkshires; an extensive
� la carte menu has starters mostly under �5 and mains mostly under �10. There
are salads too as well as a Sunday lunch menu at �10.25. The early bird menu at
�7.25 for 2 courses looks a particularly good deal (1730-1900 Mon-Fri,
1700-1830 Sat and Sun). I shall try this menu on another occasion as one
particular starter tempts me: "Shallow Fried Spam Fritters with a Coriander and
Tomato Sauce". There's also a good specials board with dishes like sea bass
(�13.95), oven roasted belly pork (�8.50) and the Star turn is "Cables Own
Fillet Steak topped with chicken liver p�t� set on a Mushroom Madeira
sauce". However, I thought I'd try "Binks locally produced beef and tomato
sausages with a fried onion mash" (�7.95). This looked superb and would have
been of interest to a member of the Campaign for Real Sausages. Just as I had
started, a large bowl of fresh vegetables arrived too. I was impressed.
Sweets are all �3.95 and in the interests of research I
felt obliged to try one. Some, like Knickerbocker Glory, have an ice cream
parlour theme but there are traditional ones too. As on previous occasions, the
description proved too much to resist: "Hot chocolate fudge cake served on a
pool of chocolate sauce with vanilla ice cream and a rosette of fresh cream".
The ice cream on top of the chocolate sauce proved to be a particularly sensuous
experience and the whole thing was verging on an orgy of gluttony. Feeling
somewhat ashamed, I thought I'd better go home for a lie down. This is well
worth a visit.
Star Inn, Batley Road, Kirkhamgate, WF2 0RZ, 01924
374431. Meals are served lunchtime and evening every day; it would be worth
ringing for exact times.
Colin Williams